The Wrong Kind of Money by Stephen; Birmingham Page B

Pierre.”
    â€œUnless you’d rather go to Patsy’s, darling. It might be amusing, and I could get us out of the thing at the Pierre, though I hate to do that to Marcella, who has her placement all worked out.”
    â€œYeah.”
    â€œI do think the thing at the Pierre is really more important, darling. It will get more media coverage. And if we back out, Marcella will have to seat the entire party all over again.”
    â€œYeah.”
    â€œAnd she has us très bien placé, at her most important table. With the Shugrues, the Dominican ambassador, and that divine new hairdresser everybody is insisting I’ve got to try.”
    â€œYeah.”
    â€œSo I won’t call Patsy back.”
    Following this exchange, there is a long silence.
    â€œAnd I’m going to try him, too,” she says at last.
    â€œTry who?”
    â€œThe new hairdresser. Philippe. They say it takes weeks and weeks to get an appointment with him, but if I’m seated next to him on Thursday, I’ll work on him.”
    There is no immediate response to this, and another silence follows. Georgette extends one foot and studies her ankle critically.
    Then she says, “He charges two hundred dollars just for a comb-out, but I’m sure he’d do me for less, considering.”
    â€œWho’re you talking about?”
    â€œPhilippe! The hairdresser! Really, Truck, what’s the matter with you tonight? I don’t think you’ve listened to a word I’ve said.”
    â€œAs a matter of fact, I haven’t,” he says.
    â€œAnd you haven’t touched your champagne.”
    He sticks his index finger in his glass. “There,” he says. “I just touched it.” He licks his finger.
    â€œReally, darling, what’s the matter? Something’s on your mind, I can tell. What is it?”
    â€œNew Year’s,” he says. “Resolutions.”
    â€œOh?” she says brightly. “What fun! I love New Year’s resolutions. Mine’s to get an appointment with Philippe as soon as I possibly can once these wretched holidays are over, before we go to P.B. What’s yours?”
    â€œI’ve made a resolution for you, Georgette.”
    â€œOh?” She eyes him narrowly. “You made a resolution for me ?”
    â€œThat’s right, sweet tits.”
    â€œOh, my, how romantic! You haven’t called me sweet tits in years. Now tell me: Just what is this resolution that you seem to’ve made for me .”
    â€œI want you to do something for the Lieblings.”
    â€œFor the who?”
    â€œNoah Liebling and his wife.”
    â€œOh. You mean the liquor people?”
    â€œThat’s right.”
    â€œYou mean you want us to entertain them?”
    â€œThat’s right.”
    â€œOh, Truckie—puh- lease ! No, never. No way. Are you quite mad? The Lieblings have just come down out of the trees !”
    â€œWhy not? I want you to do something for them, Georgette.”
    â€œAll our friends would think we’d lost our minds. They’re so N.O.C.D., those Lieblings.”
    â€œWhat’s N.O.C.D. mean?”
    â€œNot Our Class, Darling. They’re definitely N.O.C.D. There’s absolutely nothing they could do for people like us.”
    â€œNevertheless, it’s what I want you to do.”
    â€œBut, darling. Don’t you remember? Your parents moved out of one thousand Park when the Lieblings moved in. And they made a point of having their moving people come at exactly the same time as the Lieblings’ moving people, so everybody in town knew what was happening. Roxy even put it in her column.”
    â€œMy dad had some sort of business disagreement with old J. B. Liebling. But that was years ago. This is another generation.”
    â€œBut that story is too well known. People still laugh about it. What would our friends say if we appeared to be taking up with people like that? One son is a